Mufti Abu Layth Archive: society/current-events/palestine

Why does Mufti Abu Layth compare the Palestinian situation to facing a knife?

Mon, 17 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Why does Mufti Abu Layth compare the Palestinian situation to facing a knife?

His escrima teacher's rule was to run from a knife and fight only when running is impossible, and he applies it to an enemy that will not back down. He repeats that the UAE deal has brought nothing and that Bin Bayyah and Hamza Yusuf should not be blamed for it.

Answer from 17 May 2021 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Israel's war crimes, UAE ties & possible solutions? (full context) | Mufti Abu Layth (at 18:30)

A more recent answer on dialogue/views-on-contemporary-scholars exists (22 February 2023): Should scholars publicly condemn a scholar said to have joined in a libation ritual?

Watch on YouTube at 18:30 · Open the segment

Should Palestinians stay and defend the holy land at the cost of their lives?

Mon, 17 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Should Palestinians stay and defend the holy land at the cost of their lives?

No, in Mufti Abu Layth's view: life comes before place, a Muslim's honour outweighs the Kaaba rebuilt seven times, and the whole earth is a place of prayer. He says the war is lost and that those who insist Palestinians stay would stop caring about them once they were safe elsewhere. Mufti Abu Layth holds that the war against Israel is lost, that the preservation of life comes before holy places since a Muslim's honour outweighs the Kaaba destroyed and rebuilt seven times, and that Muslims guilt-trip Palestinians into staying and dying.

Answer from 17 May 2021 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Israel's war crimes, UAE ties & possible solutions? (full context) | Mufti Abu Layth (at 15:51)

Watch on YouTube at 15:51 · Open the segment

Is Jerusalem really a holy city in Islam?

Mon, 17 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Is Jerusalem really a holy city in Islam?

In Mufti Abu Layth's view Jerusalem was never that sacred in Islam: its glorification began with Abd al-Malik's Dome of the Rock as a rival to Makkah, and he holds that al-Aqsa, 'the farthest' mosque, was in the heavens. Even if holy, it is bricks and mortar, and life comes before buildings. Mufti Abu Layth holds that from an Islamic viewpoint Jerusalem was never as sacred as it is now held to be, that its glorification began when the caliph Abd al-Malik built the Dome of the Rock as a rival to Makkah, and that in his understanding al-Masjid al-Aqsa, 'the farthest', was in the heavens rather than in Jerusalem.

Answer from 17 May 2021 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Israel's war crimes, UAE ties & possible solutions? (full context) | Mufti Abu Layth (at 13:14)

A more recent answer on history/umayyads-and-abbasids exists (10 March 2023): Why was Imam Malik flogged?

Watch on YouTube at 13:14 · Open the segment

What does Mufti Abu Layth think should happen to the Palestinians in Gaza?

Mon, 17 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

What does Mufti Abu Layth think should happen to the Palestinians in Gaza?

Since Israel is here to stay and a two-state solution will not happen, Mufti Abu Layth proposes relocating the Palestinians of Gaza and the blockaded areas across the Arab world with compensation, housing and education, spread out rather than in ghettos. He says Muslims guilt-trip Palestinians into staying and Arab states value them as a buffer zone. Mufti Abu Layth holds that Israel is here to stay, that a two-state solution would be ideal but will never happen, and that the Palestinians of Gaza and the blockaded areas should instead be relocated with compensation, housing and education across the Arab world rather than guilt-tripped into staying.

Answer from 17 May 2021 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Israel's war crimes, UAE ties & possible solutions? (full context) | Mufti Abu Layth (at 7:57)

Watch on YouTube at 7:57 · Open the segment

Has the UAE's recognition of Israel brought any peace?

Mon, 17 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Has the UAE's recognition of Israel brought any peace?

No: Mufti Abu Layth says two weeks of bombardment followed the deal, so it is not a solution. He calls Israel a terrorist state at the state level, with war crimes documented by the UN and academics such as Chomsky and Finkelstein, and stresses this is not antisemitism. Mufti Abu Layth says that at a state level Israel is a terrorist state that has committed documented war crimes against Palestinians, that saying so is not antisemitism, and that the UAE's recognition deal has brought no peace and is not a solution.

Answer from 17 May 2021 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Israel's war crimes, UAE ties & possible solutions? (full context) | Mufti Abu Layth (at 4:00)

Watch on YouTube at 4:00 · Open the segment

Are Bin Bayyah and Hamza Yusuf to blame for the UAE's deal with Israel?

Mon, 17 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Are Bin Bayyah and Hamza Yusuf to blame for the UAE's deal with Israel?

No, in Mufti Abu Layth's view: the UAE's ruler does not take direction from scholars, Bin Bayyah is said to have disliked the treaty while deferring to the ruler's decision, and Hamza Yusuf had nothing to do with it. He opens with condolences for the losses in Gaza.

Answer from 17 May 2021 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Israel's war crimes, UAE ties & possible solutions? (full context) | Mufti Abu Layth (at 0:02)

A more recent answer on dialogue/views-on-contemporary-scholars exists (22 February 2023): Should scholars publicly condemn a scholar said to have joined in a libation ritual?

Watch on YouTube at 1:22 · Open the segment

What can people realistically do for Palestine, and is migration an option?

Sat, 15 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

What can people realistically do for Palestine, and is migration an option?

Politics runs through every side of the crisis, and ordinary people are largely helpless beyond pressuring MPs, boycotts and dua; Mufti Abu Layth says no land is worth a genocide and that the Prophet taught migration where an assessment calls for it, or else meaningful negotiation. Mufti Abu Layth says ordinary people are largely helpless beyond pressuring members of parliament, economic boycotts and dua, that no land is worth a genocide, and that, since the Prophet taught people to migrate, an assessment that a genocide is under way calls for migration or else meaningful negotiation.

Answer from 15 May 2021 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: The Palestinian Plight & Israeli Injustice | Mufti Abu Layth (at 24:49)

A more recent answer on society/islam-and-modernity exists (19 August 2022): Should all religions be free to compete without state backing?

Watch on YouTube at 27:26 · Open the segment

Is there archaeological evidence for David's kingdom, and how did Jerusalem become holy for Muslims?

Sat, 15 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Is there archaeological evidence for David's kingdom, and how did Jerusalem become holy for Muslims?

Archaeology has not found the kingdoms of David and Solomon, and Mufti Abu Layth says Muslims should apply the same scrutiny to their own narrations, where early scholars differed over al-Aqsa and the first qibla and the Umayyads under Abd al-Malik promoted Jerusalem with fabricated hadith to rival Ibn al-Zubayr. Mufti Abu Layth says archaeology has not substantiated the kingdoms of David and Solomon, that early Muslim scholars differed over whether al-Masjid al-Aqsa was in Jerusalem or the heavens and whether the night journey was a vision, and that the Umayyads under Abd al-Malik fabricated hadith to promote Jerusalem against Ibn al-Zubayr in Makkah.

Answer from 15 May 2021 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: The Palestinian Plight & Israeli Injustice | Mufti Abu Layth (at 20:57)

A more recent answer on society/current-events/palestine exists (17 May 2021): Why does Mufti Abu Layth compare the Palestinian situation to facing a knife?

Watch on YouTube at 20:57 · Open the segment

Is the Gaza conflict a war or a genocide, and who is egging Palestinians on?

Sat, 15 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Is the Gaza conflict a war or a genocide, and who is egging Palestinians on?

Mufti Abu Layth calls the conflict a genocide rather than a war and says urging Palestinians towards martyrdom from the comfort of one's home is armchair cowardice, driven by Arab buffer-zone interests and a religious-centre mentality. Mufti Abu Layth says the conflict is a genocide rather than a war, and that egging Palestinians on towards martyrdom from the comfort of one's home is an armchair-coward approach.

Answer from 15 May 2021 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: The Palestinian Plight & Israeli Injustice | Mufti Abu Layth (at 18:19)

A more recent answer on society/current-events/palestine exists (17 May 2021): Why does Mufti Abu Layth compare the Palestinian situation to facing a knife?

Watch on YouTube at 18:19 · Open the segment

What solutions are possible for Palestine?

Sat, 15 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

What solutions are possible for Palestine?

Israel is here to stay, so the realistic options are a two-state solution, naturalising Palestinians within Israel, or relocation, for which al-Albani gave a fatwa of hijrah, compared to evacuating a house whose fire cannot be put out. Mufti Abu Layth says that Israel is here to stay, which leaves a limited set of solutions: a two-state solution, naturalisation of Palestine within Israel, or relocation as in al-Albani's fatwa of hijrah, which he compares to evacuating a house whose fire cannot be put out.

Answer from 15 May 2021 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: The Palestinian Plight & Israeli Injustice | Mufti Abu Layth (at 14:26)

A more recent answer on society/islam-and-modernity exists (19 August 2022): Should all religions be free to compete without state backing?

Watch on YouTube at 14:26 · Open the segment

Do protests help Palestine, and was blocking the roads in Birmingham justified?

Sat, 15 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Do protests help Palestine, and was blocking the roads in Birmingham justified?

Protests put slow pressure on politicians who can only request, and blocking Birmingham's roads at rush hour was a disservice to the Palestinian cause: it broke the law, harmed civilians and turned sentiment against Palestine. Mufti Abu Layth says blocking the roads into Birmingham at rush hour was an utter disservice to the Palestinian cause, since frustration gives nobody the right to break the law, it distressed uninvolved civilians and it increased sentiment against Palestine.

Answer from 15 May 2021 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: The Palestinian Plight & Israeli Injustice | Mufti Abu Layth (at 11:49)

A more recent answer on society/current-events/palestine exists (17 May 2021): Why does Mufti Abu Layth compare the Palestinian situation to facing a knife?

Watch on YouTube at 11:49 · Open the segment

What can ordinary people do about the Palestinian crisis, and do social-media posts help?

Sat, 15 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

What can ordinary people do about the Palestinian crisis, and do social-media posts help?

Global outcry and boycotts are necessary even though Israel ignores them and acts with impunity, but Instagram posts make no difference to the crisis, which is not caused by lack of awareness, so Muslims should not guilt-trip one another. Mufti Abu Layth says a global outcry is necessary even though Israel acts with impunity and people can boycott Israeli products, but that social-media posts make no difference to the crisis, so Muslims should not guilt-trip others who do not make them.

Answer from 15 May 2021 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: The Palestinian Plight & Israeli Injustice | Mufti Abu Layth (at 6:34)

A more recent answer on society/current-events/palestine exists (17 May 2021): Why does Mufti Abu Layth compare the Palestinian situation to facing a knife?

Watch on YouTube at 6:34 · Open the segment

What are the layers behind the Palestinian crisis of May 2021?

Sat, 15 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

What are the layers behind the Palestinian crisis of May 2021?

The crisis has an occupation layer, which Mufti Abu Layth calls clear oppression and a crime against humanity, and a political layer: Gulf normalisation with Israel, Netanyahu's domestic insecurity and fear politics, and Arab neighbours' interest in a Palestinian buffer zone. Mufti Abu Layth says the Palestinian crisis has an occupation layer, the illegal Israeli occupation and forced removals that are clear oppression and a crime against humanity, and a political layer involving Gulf normalisation with Israel, Netanyahu's domestic position and Arab neighbours' interest in a buffer zone.

Answer from 15 May 2021 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: The Palestinian Plight & Israeli Injustice | Mufti Abu Layth (at 0:01)

A more recent answer on society/current-events/palestine exists (17 May 2021): Why does Mufti Abu Layth compare the Palestinian situation to facing a knife?

Watch on YouTube at 1:20 · Open the segment

Is defending the holy land worth Palestinian lives?

Mon, 24 Aug 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Is defending the holy land worth Palestinian lives?

Mufti Abu Layth says human life comes before any holy place and that Muslims must accept the fight against Israel is lost. Mufti Abu Layth says that, in his understanding, Muslims need to know when a fight is lost and accept that the one against Israel is lost.

Answer from 24 August 2020 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti #179 | Q&A Unscripted & Unrestricted! 😉 | Mufti Abu Layth (at 1:57:06)

A more recent answer on society/current-events/palestine exists (17 May 2021): Why does Mufti Abu Layth compare the Palestinian situation to facing a knife?

Watch on YouTube at 1:57:06 · Open the segment

Is al-Aqsa really in Jerusalem?

Mon, 24 Aug 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Is al-Aqsa really in Jerusalem?

Mufti Abu Layth says Jerusalem was not originally so sacred in Islam and that, in his understanding, al-Aqsa refers to a place in the heavens. Mufti Abu Layth says that in his understanding al-Masjid al-Aqsa, the farthest point, would have been in the heavens, not Jerusalem.

Answer from 24 August 2020 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti #179 | Q&A Unscripted & Unrestricted! 😉 | Mufti Abu Layth (at 1:54:29)

A more recent answer on history/umayyads-and-abbasids exists (10 March 2023): Why was Imam Malik flogged?

Watch on YouTube at 1:54:29 · Open the segment

What is the solution for the Palestinians in Gaza?

Mon, 24 Aug 2020 00:00:00 +0000

What is the solution for the Palestinians in Gaza?

Mufti Abu Layth accepts Israel is here to stay and, seeing no two-state solution, argues for Gaza's Palestinians to be relocated with compensation across the Arab world. Mufti Abu Layth says he would argue for the Palestinians of Gaza and the blockaded areas to be relocated comfortably, with compensation, to different parts of the Arab world.

Answer from 24 August 2020 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti #179 | Q&A Unscripted & Unrestricted! 😉 | Mufti Abu Layth (at 1:49:16)

A more recent answer on society/current-events/palestine exists (17 May 2021): Why does Mufti Abu Layth compare the Palestinian situation to facing a knife?

Watch on YouTube at 1:49:16 · Open the segment

Will the UAE-Israel deal bring peace to Palestine?

Mon, 24 Aug 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Will the UAE-Israel deal bring peace to Palestine?

Mufti Abu Layth says the UAE deal is not a solution, since it has brought no peace while Israel, acting as a terrorist state, keeps bombing Gaza. Mufti Abu Layth says he does not think the UAE deal is a solution, because it clearly has not brought any peace.

Answer from 24 August 2020 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti #179 | Q&A Unscripted & Unrestricted! 😉 | Mufti Abu Layth (at 1:45:40)

A more recent answer on society/current-events/palestine exists (17 May 2021): Why does Mufti Abu Layth compare the Palestinian situation to facing a knife?

Watch on YouTube at 1:45:40 · Open the segment

Are Abdullah bin Bayyah and Hamza Yusuf to blame for the UAE-Israel deal?

Mon, 24 Aug 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Are Abdullah bin Bayyah and Hamza Yusuf to blame for the UAE-Israel deal?

Mufti Abu Layth says it is unfair to blame Abdullah bin Bayyah and Hamza Yusuf for the UAE-Israel deal, since the UAE's ruler does not care what scholars think.

Answer from 24 August 2020 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti #179 | Q&A Unscripted & Unrestricted! 😉 | Mufti Abu Layth (at 1:41:10)

A more recent answer on dialogue/views-on-contemporary-scholars exists (22 February 2023): Should scholars publicly condemn a scholar said to have joined in a libation ritual?

Watch on YouTube at 1:41:10 · Open the segment

If Muslims can reconvert the Hagia Sophia, can Israel or India reconvert mosques too?

Thu, 16 Jul 2020 00:00:00 +0000

If Muslims can reconvert the Hagia Sophia, can Israel or India reconvert mosques too?

By the 'might is right' logic used to justify the reconversion, he says, Israel could turn al-Aqsa into the Temple of Solomon and India's Hindu majority could turn mosques into temples, so Muslims who celebrate cannot then complain. Leave the building be. Mufti Abu Layth says justifying the reconversion by the Muslim majority's legal power is the principle of Thrasymachus that might is right, and that by the same logic Israel could convert al-Aqsa into the Temple of Solomon and India's Hindu majority could convert mosques into temples, so Muslims cannot then complain.

Answer from 16 July 2020 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Why converting the Hagia Sophia to a mosque is a mistake | Mufti Abu Layth (at 18:26)

A more recent answer on society/current-events/middle-east-and-world exists (17 May 2021): What does Mufti Abu Layth think the solution for Kashmir is?

Watch on YouTube at 18:26 · Open the segment

If Turkey can reconvert the Hagia Sophia, can Israel or India reconvert mosques too?

Tue, 14 Jul 2020 00:00:00 +0000

If Turkey can reconvert the Hagia Sophia, can Israel or India reconvert mosques too?

By the 'might is right' logic behind the reconversion, Israel could reclaim al-Aqsa and India's Hindus the Babri Masjid, so Muslims who celebrate cannot then complain. Mufti Abu Layth says that if Muslims justify the reconversion by the principle that might is right, they cannot complain when, by the same logic, Israel converts al-Aqsa back into the Temple of Solomon or India's Hindu majority converts mosques into temples.

Answer from 14 July 2020 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth 173 (at 1:33:19)

A more recent answer on society/current-events/middle-east-and-world exists (17 May 2021): What does Mufti Abu Layth think the solution for Kashmir is?

Watch on YouTube at 1:33:19 · Open the segment